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Demanding Retirement Security for All

Nearly 40 years ago, two provisions in the Social Security Act were created with the intent of equally treating workers who pay Social Security taxes throughout their careers and those who do not on all of their earnings. However, the provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)—have caused nearly 2 million American workers to be denied benefits because they chose to enter public service. 
 

"Having Our Backs Every Step of the Way" Helps Yield Big Gains

It is often said that contractual gains cannot be made at the negotiating table alone; they additionally depend on workplace, community and political collective action. This complete formula is particularly important in order to overcome many historical and structural impediments embedded in many fields and industries. In this collective bargaining report, we're highlighting a landmark contract victory where by choosing “Union YES,” members helped resolve some of modern healthcare’s biggest challenges.
 

Heeding the Warnings of a Care Catastrophe

Members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated local unions representing health professionals are raising awareness of dangerous conditions in their hospitals, clinics, school and community-based facilities. Danbury Nurses Union Unit 47 member Amanda Hutchins Warren, RN (in photo, below) in a recent opinion piece called out her employer's role in fueling a worsening patient care crisis. As chair of her facility's staffing committee, she also urged a more "holistic approach" than individual unit fixes:
 

Urging Solutions to the Student Learning Crisis

Everyone deserves a secure retirement - particularly those who have devoted their careers to the common good. Hartford Federation of Teachers - Retired chapter member Margaret Ricks (left, in photo below) and AFT Connecticut President Jan Hochadel (right) propose this shared value as foundational to solving the nation’s school staffing shortage. Together in a recent op-ed they urged elected officials to take action for our state’s students who "need and deserve highly qualified teachers at the head of their classrooms:"
 
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